I'm amazed at how often I get e-mail from a disgruntled home cook, lamenting the
fact that, once again, a dish of pasta has turned into a culinary disaster. I hear stories of overcooked, undercooked, tasteless
pasta that may also be stuck together, or otherwise inedible. In fact, I recently had the experience where I was shopping
with a friend and I suggested that she buy some pasta. Her response was that it was too unpredictable to cook.

It needn't be that way. First of all, 90% of cooking is being there. That is, letting
the telephone ring through to voice-mail; perhaps leaving guests in the living room sipping their Chardonnay and simply keeping
your focus on the task at hand. And by being there-that is, tending the pasta-you'll be able to do the only test available
to judge its doneness: to taste.

Those two tips alone will improve your pasta-cooking skills, but I offer here, ten
little steps that, taken together, will guarantee a perfect dish of pasta every time. Follow these steps, and you'll prepare
pasta that will consistently impress your family, your friends, and your harshest critic; you.

1. All pasta is not created equal. Choose a brand with a solid reputation in the
marketplace. De Cecco and Barilla are two fine brands readily available in supermarkets.

2. Use a pot that's large enough to accommodate the pasta without crowding. For one
pound of pasta, an eight-quart pot is good; a ten- quart pot is better. Pasta needs room to move freely as it cooks. At a
minimum, use nothing smaller than a six-quart pot.

3. Use plenty of water. For one pound of pasta, you should use at least six quarts
of water.

4. Add salt to the water. About 1 Tbs. per gallon. Salt adds flavor to the pasta
that helps to create a well-seasoned dish. Often, a perfectly seasoned sauce will still taste like it needs "something" because
the pasta is unseasoned.

5. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil before adding the pasta. One of the prime
causes for pasta sticking together is that the water had not yet come to a full boil. When you add pasta to water that has
not yet reached the boiling point, it releases natural starches, which act like glue. Since the pasta is simply sitting in
the water at the time, the strands stick together.

6. Bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible after adding the pasta.
In the case of pasta strands, like spaghetti or linguine, stir the pasta until it has wilted and become submerged in the cooking
water, then cover the pot until the water returns to the boil. When the water has boiled, though, uncover the pot, and finish
cooking uncovered.

7. Stir the pasta two or three times throughout the cooking process. Pasta cooks
in eight to ten minutes. The brief time you spend attending to it away from family or guests will reap huge rewards at the
dinner table.

8. Never add olive oil to the pasta cooking water. The olive oil coats the pasta,
and prevents sauce from adhering to it when you've put the entire dish together.

9. Cook the pasta to the 'al dente' state. The only way to judge this is by tasting.
Manufacturer's cooking times are mere guidelines. Begin tasting the pasta about two minutes before the manufacturer says it
should be done. Also, there will be a small amount of carryover cooking between the time you remove the pasta from the stove,
drain in the sink, and combine with the sauce.

10. Never rinse pasta. When you rinse pasta, you're washing away most of the starches
and nutrients that you were seeking to enjoy in the first place.

So be there. Be attentive. Taste, and learn when pasta has cooked to the consistency
that you like. Follow these ten little steps, and you'll develop a reputation as a miracle worker with pasta. And with the
myriad of sauces in the Italian and Italian-American cuisines, you will have expanded your cooking repertoire beyond your
wildest dreams.

Skip Lombardi is the author of two cookbooks: "La Cucina dei Poveri: Recipes from my Sicilian Grandparents," and "Almost
Italian: Recipes from America's Little Italys." He has been a Broadway musician, high- school math teacher, software engineer,
and a fledgeling blogger. But he has never let any of those pursuits get in the way of his passion for cooking and eating.
Visit his Web site to learn more about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com

Pasta Primivera

1 Medium green pepper

4 oz package frozen snow peas

1 small zucchini

1 cup broccoli flowerlets

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 T margarine

2 oz sliced pepperoni

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

8 oz cooked fettucine

Fresh parsley, minced

Microwave vegetables in bowl
with a little bit of water for 5-7 minutes. Drain. Add salt and butter. Toss with meat, cream and cheese.
Add pasta and parsley. Toss to mix and coat.

Remove sausage from skin and crumble up. Saute' in butter, garlic,
salt and pepper, basil, thyme, oregano. Add the cooked tortellini to the meat mixture. Add 1/2 to 3/4 pint of the heavy cream.
Heat for 15 minutes then add the Parmesan cheese. Transfer the mixture into a casserole dish and bakeat 325 degrees for
10 to 15 minutes.

Cook macaroni according
to package directions and drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a two quartcasserole dish. Melt butter in a saucepan;
stir in flour and sauté for 30 seconds or so. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a slow boil; cook, stirring until sauce
thickens.Add provolone, cheddar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese melts on very low heat. Combine sauce and
cooked macaroni. Stir in Mozzarella cheese. Turn into buttered casserole. Top with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with paprika.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and top is browned. Serve with a lighter meat such as grilled or baked chicken and
a fresh salad.

In a large pot, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add theminced garlic and sauté
for 30-45 seconds - DO NOT LET THE GARLIC TURNBROWN! Immediately add sausage and sauté until cooked all the way.Throw
in the 2 cans of diced tomatoes and turn the heat down to med-hiheat and bring to a simmer. Reconstitute the tomato
paste in thewater and add to the pot. Taste sauce and season with Salt and pepper.Simmer uncovered until it cooks
down about 30-40 minutes, or until itreaches the thickness you like and cook an entire 16 oz package ofLinguini to
go with it